Carter Rubin is turning heads (and chairs) as the 15-year-old powerhouse on The Voice. Now that he's wowed the judges during the knockout rounds, fans want to know more about the young singer who was claimed by Team Gwen.
Carter Rubin auditioned for The Voice in July and sang "Before You Go" by Lewis Capaldi. The judges couldn't believe he was only 14, and John Legend was particularly impressed with how much vocal control he had at such a young age. John Legend and Gwen Stefani both fought for Carter to join their team, but he followed his gut and chose Gwen. So far, it seems like that was a wise decision, as Carter has been impressing the judges with covers of songs like Mariah Carey's "Hero" and Lauren Daigel's "You Say."
The Voice coach Kelly Clarkson got so emotional over his rendition of "You Say" that she told him, "I thought my makeup artist was gonna have to come out here and fix everything that's happening to me right now." All the judges agreed that there's something piercing and pure about Carter's standout voice. You can see his audition here:
Carter is 15 years old, although he auditioned when he was 14. He was born on October 11, 2005, and grew up in Shoreham, New York. Carter has a 19-year-old brother who was diagnosed with autism at age 2. Carter says that his brother Jack is his best friend and has shown him "what kindness, compassion, and love looks like." His family started its own autism non-profit Families In Arms, which surprises families and children with autism with trips to amusement parks. The non-profit's mission is to "give families of children with Autism the opportunity to create memories that go far beyond the walls of therapy."
Carter's family has some musical chops, although he says the talent skipped a generation. While his parents are not musically inclined, his grandfather has been making music all his life. In the 1960s, he was a guitarist and backup vocalist for Jay and the Americans, a popular rock group from Long Island. His grandfather made an appearance during Carter's audition (when The Voice judges video chatted with his grandfather, dad, and brother). His mom was there in person to cheer him on. Carter has been singing since he was 7 years old, and has performed in many musicals and community events.
He told his Carter Rubin Instagram followers that he already feels like a winner, but fans are hoping he'll actually be a winner on this season of The Voice. No matter what happens, this young singer definitely has a bright future ahead of him.
The Voice airs Monday and Tuesday nights at 8 pm on NBC.
Source: The Voice/YouTube